Istanbul to host Leaders of Change Summit

Prominent international figures including former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are set to meet in Istanbul as part of a summit on regional change.

The academics, intellectuals and senior government officials attending the Leaders of Change Summit in Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday will discuss the recent wave of change in the region and Turkey’s role and position amid this transformation.

"The Leaders of Change Summit plans to transform itself into an annually organized Istanbul World Political Forum. Istanbul will be one of the major international political decision-making centers," said Ahmet Eyup Ozguch, the president of the Turkish Future Researches Foundation, or TUGAV, which organized the two-day summit along with Istanbul University.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak at the opening ceremony of the summit, which is supported by the Prime Ministry’s Promotion Fund and its Public Diplomacy Office, while President Abdullah Gul will deliver his remarks during the closing event.

Developments in international social and economic policies and the background of transformation in the region will be evaluated along with potential future scenarios during the summit’s main sessions, business councils and parallel sessions at the Istanbul Convention Center in the Harbiye area.

TUGAV President Ozguch said the topics to be covered at the summit will help decision-makers shape the future in the middle and long run, adding that the event also aims to create new strategies and evaluate cooperation possibilities.


/Hurriyet Daily News/